Maritsa motorway

Maritsa motorway
Автомагистрала „Марица“
Maritsa motorway highlighted in red and yellow
Route information
Length:	38 km (24 mi) 117 km (73 mi) planned 78 km (48 mi) under construction
Major junctions
From:	Chirpan,
To:	Kapitan Andreevo ;
Location
Major cities:	Dimitrovgrad, Haskovo, Svilengrad
Highway system
Motorways in Bulgaria

The Maritsa motorway (Bulgarian: Автомагистрала „Марица“, Avtomagistrala "Maritsa"), designated A4, is a motorway in Bulgaria, part of the Pan-European Corridor IV , which connects Central Europe with Asia. The project links Trakia motorway (A1), at the town of Chirpan, and Kapitan Andreevo, at the Turkish border. Its projected length is 114 kilometres (71 mi) of which 43 km are built. The planned completion of the remaining 78 km (48 mi) of the motorway was in 2013,^[1] but a delay occurred and the motorway will enter in service in 2014.^[2]

In October 2010, the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov officially opened a 31 km section of the Maritsa motorway between the towns of Harmanli and Lyubimets.^[3] The new interchange at Kapitan Petvo Voyvoda neighbourhood of Svilengrad, providing direct connection with the border crossing to Greece, also opened in October 2010. During construction, 6000-year-old Neolithic remains were found near Haskovo.^[4]

The construction of the Chirpan-Haskovo and the Haskovo-Harmanli sections of the motorway are co-funded by EU funds allocated for Bulgaria,^[5] while a small section at the Turkish border is co-funded with a loan from the IBRD.^[6] Its construction runs in the same direction as the existing route 8 road, which is mainly a two-lane road and carries much of the road freight to and from Turkey. The completion of the Maritsa motorway will attempt to reduce this congestion.

The motorway is named after the Maritsa River.

Exits

Exit	km	Destinations	Lanes	Notes
	0	(Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Yambol, Burgas)		In service
	36.6	Haskovo, Dimitrovgrad E85		U/C
	66	Simeonovgrad, Harmanli		U/C
	70.3	Topolovgrad, Harmanli		U/C
	88	Lyubimets		In service
	99	Svilengrad-west;		In service
	102	Svilengrad		Interchange is in service; motorway is half profile built. U/C
	114	Kapitan Andreevo		Interchange is U/C; motorway is half profile built is certain sections, U/C
	117	Kapitan Andreevo Border Crossing ; Edirne D100 , Istanbul		U/C

References